Ad Disclosure
Vanderbilt adds veteran big man transfer out of the ACC
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Vanderbilt is gearing up for the 2025-26 season after a wildly successful first season for head coach Mark Byington with the Commodores.
The task for Byington is rounding out the roster to better compete in the rigors of the SEC after the league sent a record 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament. That includes hitting the transfer portal for some reinforcements, including veteran big man Jalen Washington out of North Carolina.
On Friday, Washington announced his commitment to Vanderbilt after spending 3 seasons in Chapel Hill. He posted his best year as a Tar Heel this past season when he was a junior.
Washington appeared in 36 games with 16 starts for UNC this season, averaging 5.7 points and 4.2 rebounds. He is a more traditional down low big man after shooting 59% from the field and just 27.8% from 3-point range.
During Byington’s first season at Vanderbilt, the Commodores went 20-13 and punched their first ticket to the Big Dance since 2017. Unfortunately, the transfer portal has not been kind to Vanderbilt so far.
The program lost Jason Edwards, a key scorer and one of the top guards in the entire SEC, to Providence after the end of the season. A host of other Commodores have opted for the portal, though Edwards is by far the biggest hit to this point.
We’ll see how Byington’s staff mines the portal to replace some key production, and use the Tennessee betting apps all year long to track the Commodores.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
